Changing gears that grind

Japanese shiatsu uses finger pressure to move the body's energy along meridians to restore balance and health. AYURVEDIC MASSAGE Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine in India that prescribes daily and seasonal regimens depending on a person's constitution. Massage is an important aspect of Ayurvedic medicine. It uses a copious amount of oil and applies pressure in a circular clockwise motion on an unclothed recipient. The massage begins at the head and ends at the feet. Firm pressure is used on the limbs and light pressure is used on the neck, face, abdomen, and heart area. Pressure is used in the same direction as the body hair (along arterial flow). The recipient applies a powder and takes a warm bath 15 to 20 minutes after an Ayurvedic massage. DEEP TISSUE Try something creative - draw or paint a picture, write a story about your childhood or play a piece of music. Don't worry about the quality of what you're producing, and don't hold back - doing it is the important part! WE ARRIVE HERE WITH NOTHING AND WE LEAVE WITH NOTHING. To distinguish between your work and your leisure, use your journey home to bring your mindful attention to your breath. Let go of the activities and worries of the working day and arrive home relaxed. It may sound strange, but sometimes we forget to breathe! Deep breathing can be incredibly beneficial; Place one hand over your chest and one on your stomach. Inhale through your nose with a closed mouth, then on the exhale, open your mouth and gently sigh.

A compromised barrier function will present as a dull skin that feels rough and/or dry. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) can also be an issue in darker skins. The discolouration (caused by an increase in melanin) can occur during the wound-healing process and remain after the skin has healed. When checking ingredient lists on products, look for the following to help combat this pigmentation: - vitamin C And I can't say it enough - GET YOUR SPF ON. Dija Ayodele, founder of the Black Skin Directory and an incredible facialist. A GOOD SKINCARE ROUTINE WHERE TO START Our skin is the biggest organ in your body, and it deserves a bit of attention. But that doesn't mean we all need to be scientists. PRACTICE RADICAL ACCEPTANCE Radical acceptance is sort of a funny term; How can you radically accept something? Although it might seem like a nonsensical combination, it's actually a powerful technique that you can use to enhance your self-acceptance and, through this, your self-compassion. Follow these instructions to give it a try: Once you're ready to meditate, take a few more long, cleansing breaths. Extend your inhale to at least four seconds, pause, then stretch your exhale out to at least four seconds, and pause again. Now that you're extra relaxed and centered, bring your awareness to yourself; Think about yourself in a more abstract way, without homing in on any details. Tell yourself, I accept you exactly as you are.

At times you may be called to leave a known situation (a job, home, relationship, etc) for the unknown. Your guidance may go against logic and reason. This is when you need the faith to trust in the process. But here is the paradox. Those things we think of as secure exist in the world of form and are therefore subject to change. On the other hand, the one thing we think of as insubstantial, the world of spirit, is realty the only secure place we have to stand. It is your connection to your spiritual nature, to your Higher Power, to God-in-you, that constitutes your real security, your ultimate grounding. To summarize, in listening to your inner voice, you Step out in faith, and give life the opportunity to support you. If you keep your focus on that benevolent Higher Power, not only will you be guided, but also your life will unfold more beautifully than you ever could have imag- Bariatric surgery is often overwhelmingly effective in causing rapid and long-lasting weight loss and metabolic improvements. However, I'm not suggesting that you or any of the world's two billion overweight people and 346 million diabetics undergo the operation. Instead, I believe in using natural agents to mimic the many beneficial physiologic effects that make bariatric surgery so effective. Research is showing that it's possible to emulate the biological responses of bariatric surgery naturally. By scheduling meals; YOUR BODY--A SOCIAL NETWORK During our journey through your metabolic system in the following articles, we will look at your body as a network of connections, like biologic Facearticle friends or Twitter followers. Just as one Tweet can cost a politician his job, one small bacterial imbalance in your gut or a glitch in one biochemical pathway can instant message your fat cells to swell with fat. When you look at your organs and systems as a vast network of linked connections, you discover why obesity and its related disorders are more than just genetics, calorie overload, or too much sitting. To unravel the core reasons behind your weight problems, you need to decipher how your environment, your mood, and the foods you eat affect the composition of the trillions of microbes in your gut, cause your metabolic engines to misfire, and put your immune system on high alert.

You know, empty calories. Even if you can get people motivated, they won't do it. Well, I believe in the human spirit too much, I said. He gave me a pat on the back and walked away. I shared this dialogue with the room of several hundred older folks. How did we get so unresourceful? My kids have more difficult lives than we ever did, another said. Their schedules are filled; Another stood up. That's the problem. This article is divided into five main shadow emotions: sadness, fear and anxiety, anger, embarrassment, and disgust. With each section, there is a general description of the shadow emotion in motherhood, and articles that explore the variations of these shadow emotions, and how these feelings can present in motherhood. Each article is structured with helpful information including how to reframe negative self-talk, termed as shadow mantras, to positive and compassionate self-talk, called thriving mantras. There are also specific skills and strategies for each shadow feeling called Moving Beyond the Shadows, which will help you manage and move past the shadow emotion you're experiencing. And at the end of each article is an inspiring Thriving Mama Reflection to help you feel inspired to bring self-compassion for yourself into motherhood. The cornerstone of therapy is trust, connection, and confidentiality. In this article there are some examples in motherhood of moms experiencing shadow emotions. None of the descriptions identify any specific individuals. To illustrate examples in motherhood, all names are fictitious, and clinical issues and presentations have been combined to create an illustration for the emotion or struggle highlighted. Any recognizable details have been altered;

Phew, okay, are you still with me? It can be hard to concentrate when the depression is bad. Feel free to take breaks, sleep for a while, cry if you need to. I'll be here when you get back. Henri Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love (New York: Image, 1998), xiii. Companions on the Road Two are better than one, If either of them falls down, But pity anyone who falls Also, if two lie down together, Come night, the situation is reversed. We are flooded with light pollution from televisions and computer screens. Even after we turn off the electronics and go to bed, there are streetlights, neighbors' outdoor flood lamps, the headlights of passing cars, and even self-imposed night-lights. These directly disturb the quality of our sleep and provoke mini-jet lags by affecting the circadian clock during its most sensitive interval. Homes have evolved over the millennia to protect us from the elements and from extremes of heat and cold. The amount and quality of light we receive indoors has been given much lower priority than protection from the weather. Neither architects nor the public have yet discovered the pervasive biological role of light in optimizing sleep and daytime well-being.The misguided indoor lighting that results contributes greatly to insomnia, depression, poor concentration, and fatigue. Circadian rhythms are a basic fact of life, throughout life. However, at different points in the life span, the particularities of their influence change, sometimes dramatically. Pregnancy is a time when many women feel their sleep and mood go awry.